Personal defense is a matter of choice for individuals. Some choose to not have any, others prefer training in martial arts, some choose a weapon. Often times, that weapon is a firearm such as a small handgun, so the use of a firearm for personal defense is well known. Users of firearms tend to conceal them in their clothing or other objects. Law enforcement and military personnel often conceal them on their persons as a “back-up” weapon, in case their primary weapon fails or situations become dire. As such, the ideal back-up weapon is ideally small and easily concealable. Their positioning is not to hinder the movement of the carrier. They tend to carry a few rounds of ammunition and maybe have some container or magazine to carry spare rounds. They tend not to be very accurate at a distance.
The present invention is a an extendable grip tang with many different embodiments, all being suitable for reducing the stowage profile of a firearm, such as one of the many types suitable for a back-up weapon. The tang may or may not be spring-loaded and may be actuated by use of a pressure plate or by the cocking of the hammer or may be keyed such that removal from a holster deploys the tang or any other means known in the art or later discovered may be used to deploy the tang.